5 Angels players most likely to be traded at this year’s Winter Meetings

Nothing if off-the-table and nobody is untouchable. That is Perry Minasian's mindset this offseason, and it is showing. The Angels sent a DFA candidate (Griffin Canning) to Atlanta for Jorge Soler, traded cash considerations (gonna miss him) for Scott Kingery, claimed Ryan Noda off waivers, and signed Yusei Kikuchi, Travis d'Arnaud, Kevin Newman, and Kyle Hendricks as free agents. While it is a fallacy to think so, Minasian certainly feels due for a big trade in the near future and he has a multitude of players on the trade block.

“What we've done so far, we've been pretty aggressive and we're going to continue to be aggressive,” Minasian said. “I wouldn't say anything is off limits. With the year we had, there's definitely areas to get better. Really, every area, whether it's rotation, lineup, bullpen, bench depth. We'll look to tackle and attack all those areas and continue to improve this club.”

With the Winter Meetings coming up, every GM will be in the same place at once. A prime opportunity for Minasian to make a big deal. So, of the players the Angels currently have on the major league roster, who are 5 candidates to be dealt in the coming days?

1. Tyler Anderson

Anderson is a prime trade candidate. He is on an expiring, tradable, $13 million deal. There are several clubs who are willing to eat salary in order to move theoretical win-now players off their active payroll. The Cubs' Cody Bellinger and Cardinals' Sonny Gray, most notably. Anderson could easily be a part of a package sent to Chicago, St. Louis, or wherever else to help off-set any incoming salary. The other teams would be eating less money if they brought back Anderson's expiring contract, therefore they would be more willing to send a theoretical win-now player to Anaheim to do so.

Anderson and Hendricks in the same rotation does not seem like a winning formula, even if both are savvy, innings-eating veterans. They both throw slowly and allow a lot of hard contact. Anderson received interest last trade deadline, and it would be smart to get something back while they still have the left-handed starter.

2. Taylor Ward

Like Anderson, Ward has been in trade talks for some time now. Minasian has refused to pull the trigger on trading Ward or Anderson, as he has not deemed any return to be adequate yet. Ward certainly boosted his trade value when he posted a .286/.386/.520/.906 slash line across 26 games in September. He posted career highs in hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks, and tied his career high in runs scored last year. Ward provides somewhere between average and above average outfield defense depending on where you look, but nothing spectacular.

So why trade him? Well, they could upgrade left field via free agency and address either their rotation, bullpen, or infield by swapping out Ward. Tyler O'Neill is essentially a better version of Ward, and would not be that much more expensive than Ward's projected $9 million 2025 salary. If they wanted a left-handed power bat, which they absolutely do, Michael Conforto or Max Kepler are out there as well. Or, they simply slot Mike Trout into left field full-time. Either way, there are myriad replacements for Ward even though he blossomed during the second half of last season.

3. Reid Detmers

Detmers is a puzzling player. He is clearly talented, and other teams definitely view him as a guy who would blossom if he left the Angels. If Minasian could get a solid haul back for Detmers he would do it, but they cannot sell-high on him just yet given his poor 2024 campaign. Ron Washington was clearly frustrated with his body language during his start against the White Sox late last season.

A Detmers trade package could net the Angels a solid return, but perhaps he can unleash his potential by learning from Kikuchi. The two lefties have similar arsenals and release points. Trading a young pitcher with potential because he had a down-year does not seem like good business at this point. The Angels need him to unlock the best version of himself next year and beyond.

4. Luis Rengifo

The Angels are relying heavily upon Rengifo next season, especially if Zach Neto misses more time than anticipated. Unfortunately, Rengifo is on the Injured List-carousel, and it remains unclear if he can get off that nasty ride anytime soon to put in a full season's worth of production. Other teams were interested in Rengifo last trade deadline before he went down with a wrist injury, so maybe they will remain intrigued by his switch-hitting, elite bat-to-ball skills, and positional versatility.

With Christian Moore's presumed debut taking place at some point next season and the additions of Kevin Newman and Scott Kingery, Rengifo becomes more tradable. It seems unlikely they will pull the trigger on a Rengifo trade until Moore materializes and Neto returns, so fingers crossed on a healthy 2025 for the utility man.

5. Nolan Schanuel

Recent FanGraphs ZiPS projections did not favor Nolan Schanuel. It is a stretch to say the Angels will deal their 2023 1st round pick, but they could certainly land a big-ticket item in a prospect-heavy package highlighted by Schanuel.

Furthermore, the free agent first basemen are enticing. Christian Walker and Pete Alonso are off-the-table for the Halos, but the organization LOVES Paul Goldschmidt for his production (even with the dip, he is still a serviceable option) intangibles, and baseball IQ. First basemen, among all the positions, is one of the easiest to find. So if the Angels moved Schanuel, they could find both a major league and minor league route to make up for his production in 2025 and beyond. Niko Kavadas, for example.